The storybook ending was all but written.
Chris Autman-Bell, the Gophers wide receiver who saw his 2022 football season end early because of a devastating knee injury, would endure grueling rehab, return to the field and reclaim his status as the team's go-to receiver. He'd do so while helping the Gophers win big and re-establishing his credentials to be an NFL draft pick.
In the process, as the script would go, he'd return to prominence with an always-present smile and effervescent personality that's made him popular with teammates and fans.
Problem is, life isn't a fairy tale, and reality can hit hard. Autman-Bell and the Gophers enter Saturday's regular-season finale against Wisconsin at Huntington Bank Stadium with a 5-6 record and with Autman-Bell playing a limited role. A team that three weeks ago sat atop the Big Ten West Division now needs a victory over the Badgers to secure a sixth win for bowl eligibility.
Yet Autman-Bell will look back on his Gophers career not for opportunities lost but for all he's gained — a breakout season in 2019, four bowl victories, two college degrees and countless friendships made.
"I'm just grateful and blessed to play Division I football in the Big Ten," he said. "I got to play with some great people, in some great brotherhoods."
Autman-Bell will be the elder statesman of a group of seniors that will participate in the traditional pregame walk. He'll be joined by good friends in sixth-year senior tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford and fifth-year senior safety Tyler Nubin. That trio, among other Gophers seniors, holds a special place with coach P.J. Fleck.
"Those guys have learned the most because they've seen the most," Fleck said. "They've seen really good; they've seen really hard. … They've meant so much to this program, and this program is so grateful for them."
A whirlwind decision
Rosie Autman wasn't sure she wanted her son to go to Minnesota. She felt it was too far away from the family's home in Kankakee, Ill., roughly 70 miles south of Chicago. Autman-Bell originally had committed to Western Michigan when Fleck was coaching the Broncos. When Fleck took the Minnesota job, Autman-Bell had a quick decision to make — follow the coach to Dinkytown or matriculate to Kalamazoo.
"Someone at work came and told me that [Fleck] left and asked me what Chris was gonna do," Rosie said. "I'm like, 'Chris isn't doing anything. He's going to keep going to Western Michigan because it's only a couple hours away.' Minnesota, to me, initially wasn't even an option."
Autman-Bell, though, wanted the chance to play in the Big Ten and still had to convince his mom. "I really had to pray on it," said Rosie, who relented after receiving assurances from relatives in Minneapolis who could look in on Chris if needed.
Once at Minnesota, Autman-Bell quickly impressed, becoming a solid third option behind Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman as a redshirt freshman in 2018. That success continued into 2019, when caught 28 passes for 371 yards and five touchdowns as the Gophers went 11-2 and finished No. 10 in the final AP Top 25.
Autman-Bell's first and last TD catches that season rank highly in Gophers lore.
The first came at Fresno State. With the Gophers trailing 28-21 and facing fourth-and-13 , Autman-Bell snagged a pass from Tanner Morgan and just got his right foot in bounds in the corner of the end zone, tying the score with 46 seconds left in regulation. The Gophers won 38-35 in two overtimes.
"If he has a size-13 shoe, it's out of bounds," Fleck said. "Thank God he has a size-12 shoe."
Back in Illinois, Autman-Bell's family embraced the moment.
"I was yelling and screaming," Rosie said. "It was his first collegiate touchdown!"
The second big catch came during the Gophers' 31-26 upset of No. 5 Penn State. Late in the first quarter, Autman-Bell caught a screen pass from Morgan, wove his way against the grain and sprinted 21 yards for the touchdown that gave Minnesota the lead for good.
Afterward, Rosie was among those who rushed the field in celebration. "It was amazing," she said.
Center stage elusive
Autman-Bell became the No. 1 receiver for the Gophers in 2021, but an ankle injury suffered during training camp proved nagging. He led the Gophers with 36 catches for 506 yards and six TDs.
A year later, he was off to a solid start with 11 receptions for 214 yards and a TD in three games. In that third game against Colorado, however, Autman-Bell landed awkwardly while trying to snare a pass, suffering a torn anterior cruciate knee ligament and meniscus damage. On came surgery and rehab.
Autman-Bell attacked the rehab head-on and never wavered. "I learned from my coaches that as a leader, you can't have bad days, no matter how bad it gets," he said. "You just can't have bad days because people depend on you."
He set an example that even was noticed on the other side of the ball.
"He's had adversity in his career, there's no doubt, and just to see him come back, see him work and see him persevere — those are the attributes that are gonna determine success in life," Gophers defensive coordinator Joe Rossi said. "… Whatever he chooses to do, Chris Autman-Bell is going to be successful."
Rosie is impressed with how her son has weathered the tough times.
"He's so positive, and I can't say I've been the most positive over this past year," she said. "I had misplaced anger over certain things, and he's always told me, 'Mom, it's going to be OK. I'm gonna get there regardless of how long it's gonna take.'"
The long road back
Autman-Bell's spirit has been willing this season, but his body hasn't reached the pre-surgery level. Along with the knee rehab, he's dealt with a hamstring issue. He didn't catch his first pass until Oct. 28 against Michigan State, and for the season, he has five catches for 81 yards.
One of those catches he considers the most memorable of his career — his leaping 27-yard touchdown grab under heavy coverage on Nov. 11 at Purdue.
"That was something for me inside, like inner healing," Autman-Bell said. "I'm trying to prove it to myself that I can still do it and that I can bounce back from this ACL injury."
Saturday, Autman-Bell will cap the home portion of his Gophers career, and there will be a contingent of at least 10 family members in attendance. Rosie has stormed the field twice after big Gophers wins — the Penn State game in 2019 and a win over Wisconsin for Paul Bunyan's Axe in 2021. She'd like one more chance on Saturday.
"We never expected him to be there that long," she said. "Although it is bittersweet to see it coming to an end this time, we're ready for him to start this new chapter."
Autman-Bell plans on training for the NFL draft at season's end, but first, he'll savor one last game in Minnesota.
"I've had a lot of challenges, a lot of ups and downs," he said. "… But at the end of the day, I'm grateful because it can always be worse than what it is. I'm alive. I'm healthy now. I can look forward. I've got a better perspective on life now."
